In the Meadow
by Muirgheal-of-Lantern-Waste
Summary: Post-Mockingjay fluff. In a world where the only tradition is sending children to death, what's worth celebrating?


**To the fashionable and fabulous Lizzzzzzzzzzzzz, **

**Merry Christmas!**

The woods were utterly silent in the weak light of a winter morning. The young yellow sunlight gleamed over the thin ice that had formed overnight. With the grace of a natural predator, Katniss glided through the woods, checking the traps she had set. Not much was there, but it wouldn't matter. The sales from last fall's store of game would be enough to last them through the winter. Game was now more of a curiosity food than the only thing to feed a starving family. Katniss pushed the thought away. What with two grade-school children and helping Peeta run the bakery, the early winter morning was the only time she had to wander the woods. It was not, she told herself, a time for remembering.

She froze, hearing a set of footprints. A lighter creature was making its way through the barren woods, trying to move carefully and silently.

Katniss smiled to herself. Rye, of course. Both her son and daughter had her love of the woods, but Willow loved to crunch the leaves and make noise.

"Good morning, Rye."

"Aw! You heard me!" he said, coming up beside her. "Can I help?"

"Well I'm done for today, but you can come help me tomorrow, if you can get up that early."

"It's not getting up early that's hard. It's staying up early." The little boy yawned.

"Then you shouldn't complain when I tell you to go to bed!" Katniss laughed as she picked up what she had caught and headed for home.

Peeta had already baked the day's bread when Katniss came in with Rye and was busy mixing the batter. Presumably for a cake, since it was the only thing Peeta would start so late in the morning.

"Morning, Katniss! Morning, Rye."

Rye yawned. "Mmmhmm."

"He's still not quite awake," Katniss noted, as she went into a side room to put away her muddy boots and hang up her coat.

Peeta laughed and shook his head. "You know, Katniss, I was going through some of the old Capitol archives and—"

Katniss held up a hand. "Whatever it is, I don't want to know. It's all gone now."

"No wait." Peeta gestured with the handheld mixer, flinging batter, which Rye expertly caught in his mouth despite apparently being still asleep. "This is about before the Capitol. Just listen."

She looked at him skeptically and crossed her arms. "Listening."

"Hundreds of years ago, in the first couple days of winter, near the winter solstice, they used to take trees into their houses and decorate them with little colored balls. And they'd put lights in them, with a star or angel at the top. There would be a special day when they'd put presents under the tree and then open them. Then a week later, they'd start their year over again, with fireworks at midnight."

Katniss looked even more skeptical. "I should probably go wake up Willow so she doesn't sleep through the whole day."

Peeta nodded and returned his attention to the cake.

At breakfast, Peeta made it clear that he still hadn't forgotten the idea of this new holiday.

Willow shuffled downstairs and slumped into her seat at the kitchen table. "Hmpphrrrnng." She blinked her eyes open.

"So basically like, well, like Reaping Day, but without the Reaping. You know, a special day where we wear nice clothes and have something… special." He trailed off, sensing that this idea would be largely unsuccessful.

Katniss glared at him. "What makes you think I'd like anything like that?"

"Well, we still have the old calendar, using Reaping Day to mark off the years. Only it was always awful, to mark off the time by remembering what the Capitol had done. But we can celebrate something new."

Katniss blinked at him. "We already celebrate birthdays and our anniversary."

Peeta shook his head. "No. I mean, things we can celebrate with other people, the way they did before Panem."

"I don't know how that would work." Katniss pushed her chair back and gathered up the dishes. "Come on Willow, time to get ready for school."

Peeta sighed and went back to mixing batter. He had made her upset. Again. Mentioning the fireworks was probably a terrible idea, since the sound of the fireworks reminded Katniss of the cannons in the Arena. It had just been an idea.

After waving goodbye to Katniss and Willow, Rye ran back into the kitchen for a cookie. "Love you, Dad!" he mumbled, hugging Peeta's legs. Peeta smiled down at him. "Love you too, Rye."

On the way to school, Katniss asked Willow, "So why do you have to get to school early today?"

"I'm meeting up with some friends for a history project. Waking up early was _not_ my idea, but I had to go along with it. Tenney had to help her mom with something, and Wade had a birthday party."

When they got to the school, Willow let go of her mother's hand and ran off to meet her friends. Katniss watched for a little while, telling herself, as she often did, that Willow was a happy little girl with many friends, and she would be safe at school. Just as she turned to head home, she heard one of the girls say, "Do you have the mockingjay wings?"

Katniss whirled around and headed right back to the school, watching Willow pull on the wings. At her mother's threatening approach, Willow began to explain. "Please, mom, they're for the New Years school play! Please please pleeeease let me wear them!" Just as she was about to tear them off and scold the children, a teacher walked up.

"Good morning, Mrs. Mellark! It's a pleasure to see you! I see you've noticed the mockingjay wings for Willow's history skit. Aren't they lovely? We're celebrating the fall of the Capitol in a few weeks, so I thought I'd help the children with a little play."

Biting her tongue, Katniss barely contained herself. "Willow won't be in the play. I'm sorry." She turned to her daughter. "Willow, take those off."

"But Mom, I've been practicing! And we already have a wedding dress for the part where—where your dress turned into a…" She trailed off at her mother's unyielding expression.

Katniss shook her head. "There are better things to celebrate. Come on. Let's go home."

* * *

AN: It was supposed to be warm and fluffy, but I was mad because physics homework so it turned out like this. Maybe I'll do a cute snow-and-hot-chocolate scene to make up for it. But I already wrote this, so yeah...


End file.
